The Walking Dead Season 4: Daryl “Absolutely Devastated,” Questions Whether or Not to Go On (VIDEO)

We’re not used to seeing Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) so glum, and honestly, it doesn’t suit him very well. Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) was able to get him out of his sad cloud long enough for him to put his tracking skills to good use and look for survivors, but we think staying sane and just surviving will be an uphill battle for this unlikely duo.

For starters, Daryl, as we said, isn’t his usual man of action, and Beth was never exactly great at killing walkers. She’s also writing in her journal again, which is likely a result of the extreme loneliness she’s feeling. As Emily explains in the behind the scenes video below, “Because of Daryl being so vacant and non-responsive, Beth is feeling very alone.”

The vacant look in Daryl’s eyes comes from the way in which he’s choosing to process the loss of his home, family, and Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson). “Daryl is absolutely devastated by this,” comic book creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman maintains.

Norman agrees, outlining Daryl’s thought process. “He’s lost this group of people that believed in him, that he believed in, and he’s sort of at this place where he’s like, ‘What’s the point?’”

We certainly hope Daryl finds the point of living (just look at your arms, dude!) but as we mentioned above, it will be incredibly difficult to adapt to all of this change and tragedy. Even Beth, who was remarkably positive and upbeat at the start of Season 4, Episode 10: “Inmates”, had her moment of weakness when she saw dead bodies and a child’s shoe on the train tracks.

“The harness crumbles away and we realize just how traumatized she is,” executive producer Gale Anne Hurd says of that emotional moment.

The good news for Beth and Daryl is that if they’re by the train tracks they hopefully aren’t too far away from Tyreese, (Chad Coleman) Carol Peletier, (Melissa McBride) Lizzie Samuels, (Brighton Sharbino) Mika Samuels, (Kyla Kenedy) and baby Judith, who were also walking in that area.

Do you think Daryl will only get more despondent before he gets better, or is he on the mend already?